2005 - AFL Home and Away Season
Round 19 - Pregame Articles
Round 19
St Kilda vs Geelong
Telstra Dome Friday 5th August 2005, 7:40pm AEST
Saints unchanged for Cats clash
St Kilda's recent reversal of fortune has been highlighted at the selection table with an unchanged line-up named for Friday night's clash against Geelong at Telstra Dome. Although the Saints are still without Brendon Goddard (hamstring), Xavier Clarke (hamstring), Cain Ackland (knee) and Leigh Fisher (hamstring), the return of key players Nick Riewoldt, Robert Harvey, Aaron Hamill and Luke Penny last round was a significant boost to St Kilda's status as a premiership threat. The Saints have struck a purple patch in recent weeks having recorded five consecutive victories - their best streak in 2005. Of its past four wins, St Kilda has a stunning average winning margin of 77.5 points. Raphael Clarke, Jason Gram and Aaron Fiora are the emergencies for the Saints.
The Article saints.com.au/04Aug05
Thommo's trailblazers and even Gehrig's doing it
St Kilda supporters would have left the MCG last Saturday on a high talking about the successful return of Nick Riewoldt and Aaron Hamill, the continued dominance of Justin Koschitzke, the seven-goal haul of Fraser Gehrig or how Nick Dal Santo's career-high five goals might have improved his Brownlow chances. It was an awesome Saints display, with individual brilliance everywhere you looked. But what made it more impressive was the players' commitment to team rules, specifically all those one percenters coaches expect of their charges. There was one passage of play late in the final quarter that typified this commitment. Provided they continue with this style of play, their chances of winning the flag this year increase dramatically.
The Article Wayne Schwass/HeraldSun/05Aug05
Saints want to keep Gehrig
St Kilda coach Grant Thomas has stressed there is ample money left for Fraser Gehrig if he wants play on. Gehrig's future is unlikely to be decided until after the season, but Thomas has slammed speculation the full-forward is disillusioned and already planning to pull the pin. Thomas expects the 29-year-old to recommit as long as his body emerges relatively unscathed from the next two months. Asked yesterday about the chances of an early Gehrig retirement, Thomas said: "I'd be reasonably surprised. By the same token, he's been around a long time and he's a very driven person . . . if his body's not going to allow him to do what he wants to do and that's a source of frustration, so be it," Thomas said. "When they (players) are a bit older you probably tend to wait a bit more and see how the guys are thinking about their footy. But at this point in time, I've got no reason to doubt it."
The Article Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/05Aug05
Thomas: Gehrig could coach
Fraser Gehrig a potential coach? You better believe it.
St Kilda coach Grant Thomas yesterday declared Gehrig an obvious future coaching candidate. "Fraser, is my mind, is probably potentially the best coach on our list," Thomas said. "Maybe on our coaching panel is the next role. He has taken training a few times for us when he was injured earlier in the year and did a terrific job. He thrives on that responsibility. He's a deep thinker about the game and is very tactically astute."
The Article Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/05Aug05
Aussie Jones the reluctant Saint
Mark Robinson goes head-to-head with Austinn Jones.
MR: At one stage there it looked like it might be the end of Aussie Jones.
AJ: Yeah, probably pretty close. I spoke to Grant Thomas about my future and I'm contracted next year and spoke to him a few weeks ago and said I'm probably not going to go on. That's when I went back to the twos, had a freshen up in the mind. I've eight weeks left so I'm just going to try to stay pretty positive and make a decision at the end of the year.
The Article Mark Robinson/HeraldSun/05Aug05
Saints nearly lost Austinn Jones Mark Robinson/HeraldSun/05Aug05
How a modern-day rivalry was born
There's a lot of mutual respect between St Kilda and Geelong. Well, off the field, anyway. Rival presidents Rod Butterss and Frank Costa have a regular friendly bet each time the clubs meet. And Geelong chief executive Brian Cook had a close and productive relationship with his former counterpart at Moorabbin, Brian Waldron. They share a kinship, presiding over two traditionally downtrodden clubs both climbing their way back to the top as the result of careful planning and rebuilding. But when it comes to matters strictly football, St Kilda and Geelong are, to put it mildly, a little testy with each other. That testiness is rapidly turning these Saints-Cats clashes into the new great rivalry in Victorian football. With the "big three" of Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon all down, some club has to stand up and provide the fireworks. So far, St Kilda and Geelong have made a pretty fair fist of it.
The Article Rohan Connolly/TheAge/05Aug05
St Kilda, Geelong wage war and form new tradition
Mark Thompson was not sure what he was starting two years ago when he demanded a cessation to the gush over the talent St Kilda had assembled at Moorabbin and pay more attention to the list Geelong had developed on the other side of Port Phillip Bay. In the five games which have been played between the two clubs since, Geelong's three wins to the Saints' two have kept silent those who doubted Thompson's men's credentials and allowed a new rivalry to flourish. Thompson compares it to the most intense matches he enjoyed during his playing career between 1986 and 1996 which yielded 202 games and three premierships with Essendon.
The Article Peter Krupka/TheAustralian/05Aug05
AFL to review fine for trashing umpires
The AFL has signalled it would "review the adequacy" of the $5000 fine it imposed on Collingwood coach Michael Malthouse yesterday for comments he made about the umpiring after his side's loss to Fremantle last Sunday. The $5000 fine has brought the cost of the incident to the club close to $60,000, according to Magpies president Eddie McGuire, who said tribunal submissions, legal fees and a replacement player had cost Collingwood an estimated $55,000 since spearhead Chris Tarrant was found guilty of striking Fremantle's Mathew Carr on Sunday. "I did a bit of a rough estimate," McGuire told radio 3AW. "The Tarrant tribunal thing has probably cost Collingwood over $55,000 as it is, without the fine. Chuck Mick in there and make it 60. And that's with the submissions, the amount of work taken by our people, the QC having to turn up, Tarrant's fee that he'd get paid this week, which is now thrown up against the wall, the replacement player and also the impact on match receipts. So these things - there's a bit more to them than just whingeing about things."
The Article Lyall Johnson/TheAge/05Aug05
Umpires want legal representation at tribunal Lyall Johnson/TheAge/05Aug05
The team's the thing for Hayes
Lenny Hayes is enjoying yet another stellar season in the heart of St Kilda's midfield. The star onballer has played every game so far this season and is averaging 25 possessions every time he takes to the field. His current run of good form sees him rated third favourite for the Brownlow behind only Ben Cousins and Matthew Pavlich, but such individual honours are not the priority for the 25-year-old former skipper. "The key for me is just being able to contribute to the team's performance and to do it consistently," Hayes says. "That's a real challenge and it's something I've concentrated pretty hard on this year, just to give an even contribution and give a bit to the team. If I can do that the team will be happy and I'll be happy."
The Article Jason Phelan/Sportal/saints.com.au/04Aug05
Game Cats must win
Geelong assistant coach Ken Hinkley sent a short and sharp message to his players last night: "We need a win". Having managed just two wins in six weeks, Hinkley said the Cats were running out of time to find form ahead of September. Facing an in-form St Kilda tomorrow night has made getting back on track this week an even tougher assignment, but he said it was a challenge the club needed to stand up to. "I think they're going to be very hard to beat but I'm sure we'll go out there and give it our best," he said.
The Article Sarah Bieske/GeelongAdvertiser/04Aug05
Flat Cats Sarah Bieske/GeelongAdvertiser/04Aug05
Team unity rising for selfless Saints
Of the many measures and key performance indicators which dictate the health of St Kilda in the Grant Thomas coaching era, nothing seems as important now as the 'selfless act' count. Thomas was happy to report yesterday the telling selfless act count from his side's crushing 15-goal demolition of Melbourne on Saturday was the highest it had been for the year and one of the highest the club has recorded since he took control in late 2001. "They (selfless acts) were the second highest we've had since we've all been here together," Thomas said.
The Article Peter Krupka/TheAustralian/03Aug05
Mark McGough Chat Transcipt
saintbrat: Hello Mark and welcome to Saints Chat. What have you learnt this year?
Mark McGough: I have learnt that St Kilda are a very good team, an even team on and off the field and the players are all very dedicated and extremely committed to their football.
Loving_hamill: Hey Mark, what did you think of the game on Saturday?
Mark McGough: It was a great win by the boys after some early pressure from Melb. It was great the team was able to rally and dominate the game.
The Transcript Noddy/saints.com.au/03Aug05
Mooney blues for Geelong
Geelong was last night desperately hoping aggressive defender Cameron Mooney would overcome a back injury in time for the rumble against St Kilda's host of tough forwards. Mooney bruised his back in last week's encounter against Essendon and will be needed by Geelong for tomorrow night's clash against a Saints' forward set-up that boasts Fraser Gehrig, Nick Riewoldt, Aaron Hamill and Justin Koschitzke. He did not appear at training yesterday at Skilled Stadium. Cats assistant coach Ken Hinkley said Mooney had not been ruled out, and hoped that the seven days between games would be enough recovery time. "At best he's 50-50 to play this week, but we're hopeful still. We're not giving up on him - We're playing the Saints, so we need our tall defenders and he's one of them, so we'd like to have him out there if he's available," Hinkley said.
The Article Melissa Ryan/TheAge/04Aug05
Wounded Cats worry Thomas
St Kilda coach Grant Thomas has warned his players to be wary of an injury-depleted Geelong side on Friday night, saying the growing rivalry between the two clubs will be enough to inspire the Cats. With its skipper Steven King out because of a broken finger and Cameron Mooney in doubt with back problems, Geelong is down to 26 fit players but despite its injury woes and recent inconsistent form, Thomas says anything less than an "A-grade effort" from his team will open the door for the Cats. "They have got a couple of injuries but you have to beware the injured soldier," he said. "Geelong don't need much motivation against St Kilda, they have had that for a year or two now, and they enjoy playing us and we enjoying playing them and we don't need much motivation playing against them."
The Article Karen Lyon/TheAge/03Aug05
Bruising blow for Cats Grantley Bernard/HeraldSun/04Aug05
Injury clouds dissipate
The injury clouds that have hovered stubbornly over Moorabbin for much of the year appear to be clearing with Grant Thomas reporting no fresh injury concerns after Saturday's mauling of Melbourne. For the first time this season the Saints are nearing full strength after welcoming back star foursome Nick Riewoldt, Aaron Hamill, Robert Harvey and Luke Penny from extended injury layoff. "They all pulled up very well, they're all raring to go and they've got a good game under their belts, so that'll hold them in good stead," Thomas happily reported from Moorabbin on Tuesday. "Hopefully, once again, (they can) just focus on their effort and forget about their performance and they'll just keep building."
The Article Jason Phelan/Sportal/saints.com.au/02Aug05
Mooney added to injury list Sarah Bieske/GeelongAdvertiser/02Aug05
AFL to finetune tribunal
The AFL is likely to reform sections of its new tribunal system at the end of the season but the league denies there will be any major overhaul of the process that was introduced less than seven months ago. AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson said clubs had adapted well to the new system and its early success had been "beyond expectations" but he did accept that some fine-tuning would be necessary. "(After) massive change to the tribunal system, the biggest ever, there are going to be things that we can refine and get better and we have always said that we would do that," Anderson said yesterday. He would not be drawn into what areas would come under special scrutiny but is waiting for feedback from the clubs at the end of the year.
The Article Karen LyonTheAge/04Aug05
Fatally flawed system receives heavyweight blow
. . . These definitions allowed Schwab's consideration that Fraser Gehrig punched Jason Cloke intentionally in round six to be reassessed by the tribunal as a reckless act. It got Gehrig a one-week reprieve. Adelaide's Brett Burton argued his contact with Richmond's Chris Hyde was negligent and not reckless and had a one-match suspension reduced to a reprimand.
The Article Patrick Smith/TheAustralian/03Aug05
Thomas wary of Saints easing up
On the surface, St Kilda hasn't a worry in the world. All its superstars are back and in form. Skipper Nick Riewoldt, Robert Harvey and resident Superman, Aaron Hamill, survived their first game after injury. And the Saints last week put up perhaps their most unrelenting team effort under Grant Thomas as coach. Yet their task is mammoth: to maintain that effort for another eight weeks . . . "Anyone can bring an A-grade effort along, it's the maintenance of that, the consistent performance of that, which is the really difficult thing," Thomas said. "That's the difference between good sides and good teams and we want to be a good team."
The Article Mark Robinson/HeraldSun/03Aug05
All aboard the G-Train
If ever someone embodied different personalities on and off the field it would be Fraser Gehrig. In crossing that white line, he acts like a caged animal that has been released into the wild and his pre-ritual charge toward the goals is something that ignites the fans and brings excitement to the game. There isn't a more intimidating sight in the AFL than an angry Gehrig charging full steam ahead with muscles flexing and eyes bulging. The man mountain has incredible strength as well as blistering pace, meaning he is capable of holding off two or three defenders and allowing teammates to be left alone. He is the ultimate team player; someone who puts the team's welfare ahead of his own. Gehrig now leads the goalkicking table again and looks set to win his second consecutive Coleman Medal but it is clear he isn't interest in individual accolades, "It is not a big focus for me, something I could care less about to be honest. I like the fact we have so many options in the forward line now and not just relying on one guy to win games."
The Article Luca Giacobello/saints.com.au/01Aug05
Talent the key
The Demons were dumb last Saturday. They picked a fight they were never going to win. I suppose desperate times can create desperate measures, but to take St Kilda on physically was never going to work. The great majority of Melbourne's players are not nasty, mean types, so it was a stupid ploy. In fact, it backfired because when the heat was on, there were some very nervous Melbourne footballers who found themselves completely out of their comfort zone. Whoever was responsible for directing the Demons to be overly aggressive got it wrong. Was it senior coach Neale Daniher, his assistants or the playing group itself? Ultimately, Daniher has to take responsibility for the plan to shake, rattle and roll Saint skipper Nick Riewoldt. The Demons just didn't read the play. Over the past month, St Kilda has been on a mission. It is playing hard, tough football. It started with a bruising encounter against the Bulldogs on July 3. It was the start of a winning streak that has stretched to five. The Saints have put a premium on aggression and toughness, and courage to win the ball when it is your turn to go. Strong mature types such as Brent Guerra, Andrew Thompson, Stephen Powell and Justin Peckett are getting plenty of game time.
The Article Robert Walls/TheAge/02Aug05
Saints on way to wiping out debt
St Kilda could complete a stunning financial turnaround by wiping out a $2.3 million debt by the end of next season. The Saints, booming on and off the ground, are on track to post a profit of $1.1 million this year. If, as expected, they at least match that effort in 2006, the once struggling club will boast close to a clean slate. "We can pay off a lot of debt this year, and hopefully next year we'll wipe the best part of it out," St Kilda president Rod Butterss said yesterday. "Not all your profit goes into paying out your debt, but certainly 70 to 80 per cent of it should. If we can pay it off, then we're in good shape." The Saints announced a profit of $1.03 million last year and have been further boosted by a 2000 jump in membership. "We'll make something just north of a million, about $1.1 million," Butterss said.
The Article Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/02Aug05
Cats ponder Blake for ruck role
Teenage ruckman Mark Blake did not expect to get a tap on the shoulder from Mark Thompson this season unless the Geelong coach was desperate for some back-up help. Thompson has become so desperate that not only is Blake likely to be called up for Friday night's match against St Kilda, the 19-year-old is also expected to carry the bulk of the ruck duties against the form side of the competition. The likely season-ending finger injury to captain and leading ruckman Steven King has been compounded by news pinch-hitting ruckman Cameron Mooney is battling to be fit for the match at the Telstra Dome. Mooney badly bruised his back against Essendon on Friday night. Blake's one and only AFL game came in round 15 this season against Sydney on a day injuries and a rampant virus left Geelong with the bare minimum of fit players. Things are not looking much better for the game against St Kilda. The Saints have lost the past two matches to Geelong but will start white-hot favourites.
The Article Peter Krupka/TheAustralian/02Aug05
Blakes big break Sarah Bieske/GeelongAdvertiser/02Aug05
Cats anoint teenager Grantley Bernard/HeraldSun/02Aug05
NEW INJURIES
Lenny Hayes is suffering from leather poisoning
Goose has chronic markers syndrome, he can't seem to not mark the ball
Kosi has suffering from bitchsmackitis and he put away jeff white to add recent bitches of Josh Fraser
Max has a sore foot from kicking neitzs @r$e all day long
Harvey is getting reverse magnetic treatment as the ball seems to follow him whereever he goes.
Ball has a sore shoulder from slamming bong boy and co to the ground all day long
Dal Santo is suffering from sun glare as he tried to find where Yze was hiding all day long
The Thread - Dan Warna/saintsational.com
Saints strengthen as stars survive comebacks
St Kilda emerged from Saturday's 88-point victory over Melbourne with plenty of good news on the injury front, Aaron Hamill, Nick Riewoldt, Robert Harvey and Luke Penny all making it through their injury comebacks in fine style. The only injury concern for the Saints was a broken nose to veteran midfielder Andrew Thompson. Ruckman Cain Ackland missed the game with a jarred knee, but is likely to be back for Friday night's Telstra Dome clash with Geelong. That will have the Saints virtually at full strength, with only Xavier Clarke, who is hoping to return from a hamstring strain in round 21, missing.
Age Injury Report AA/TheAge/01Aug05
Big winner in finals Roo-lette
. . . There is weeping and gnashing of teeth in the heartland about the standing of Victorian teams in the national competition. St Kilda and the Roos are left to fly the flag. Geelong may hang on and the Western Bulldogs are making a late charge, but what has happened since Round 10, when five Victorian clubs were in the eight?
The Article Mike Sheahan/HeraldSun/01Aug05
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